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The Falcons have gotten more than they could have expected out of Chris Chester the last two seasons. The 34-year-old guard had some duds along the way, but he’s been a 16 game starter both years and has provided at least solid guard play for a team with a strong offensive line, doing so at a relative bargain price each season.
Given that, it’s not any great surprise the Falcons want to bring him back.
#Falcons are waiting to hear from veteran guard Chris Chester on if he wants to keep playing, GM Thomas Dimitroff.
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) March 1, 2017
Chester won’t be guaranteed a starting job if he does return, not with Wes Schweitzer in the mix and a rookie guard potentially joining the team. He would certainly battle for one, however, and there are worse outcomes than Chester starting again or being the team’s top backup guard. Much worse.
We’ll see what kind of decision Chester makes, but I like his chances of returning to Atlanta if he decides to play another year. The chief competition might be San Francisco, where his longtime offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is the head coach now, but Atlanta’s a contender and should be able to give him the kind of money he wants. Stay tuned.